If someone were to scam them, it would be a devastating blow to ordinary people, as that amount of money represents the savings of two generations for the vast majority of ordinary people.

The current real estate market is too chaotic. The number of people being deceived is increasing every year, while the swindlers have no conscience. Even if they swindle others out of their fortunes, they don't feel any remorse.

Not only did she fail to buy the house, but she also got a lot of frustration and almost fell for a scam. Chen Hong was immediately deflated.

Before going to bed that night, I sent a message to Zhou Yi as usual, but he didn't reply again, so I habitually put down my phone and prepared to sleep.

The next day, after sending her child to school, she went for a stroll around the bustling Grand View Garden and People's High Ground.

Coincidentally, she ran into Wang Yunyan, a classmate from middle school, at the People's Department Store.

Wang Yunyan is a Hui Muslim who came to Jinan to work after graduating from middle school.

With her striking features and tall stature of 1.73 meters, she not only established herself in Jinan and opened her own clothing store, but also married a capable man.

They were both once famous at school, the two most beautiful girls in their class.

Chen Hong excels academically and is the class representative for Chinese language. She consistently ranks among the top three in the class in every exam.

Wang Yunyan is known for her athletic prowess; she is a star athlete at her school, excelling in long-distance running, high jump, and basketball.

At that time, Wang Yunyan's family was also poor. Her parents made a living by farming. During the off-season, her parents would go to the countryside to collect peanuts, bring them home, remove the shells, roast them in sand, and then sell them in Jinan to supplement the family income.

She also has an older brother, who was a classmate of Chen Hong's brother.

Children back then were innocent; no one understood what jealousy was. Every day after school, they had to help with chores at home, keeping them incredibly busy. Sometimes, they would bring their homework to school and hastily scribble it down before handing it in.

Chen Hong and Wang Yunyan were quite close. The school was close to Wang's house, and during lunch break, Chen Hong would often go home with her to help her rub peanuts for a while.

Back then, the tools were rudimentary. Chen Hong remembers that her family used a rectangular iron sieve to pour peanuts, skin and all, onto it.

By rubbing the peanuts back and forth with a brick, the peanut skins will crack open, and the peanut kernels will fall through the sieve, leaving only the cracked peanut shells on the sieve.

Wang Yunyan's family all like her very much and even jokingly suggest that she marry into their family.

Chen Hong firmly refused, saying that she liked to eat pork, and that she wouldn't become her sister-in-law based on that alone.

Recalling the fun they had as children, the two women laughed through the crowded throng.

They hadn't seen each other for fifteen years. When Chen Hong was in high school, she stayed at Uncle Wang and Uncle Liu's house for a short time during winter vacation and inquired about visiting Wang Yunyan.

At that time, Wang Yunyan was working for someone else, as a saleswoman in a clothing store, earning a monthly salary of three hundred yuan.

Later, when Wang Yunyan got married, Chen Hong was working as a passenger transport driver and didn't have time to attend the wedding. She only asked another classmate to bring her a pure cotton bed sheet worth twenty-eight yuan.

When Chen Hong got married, she could no longer contact Wang Yunyan. For some reason, she had severed ties with her family.

Chen Hong married someone from far away, and the two lost contact completely after that.

At noon, Wang Yunyan treated them to lunch. They found a Muslim restaurant, ordered six dishes, and each brought their child. The two women and their children had a lively meal together.

While feeding their four children, the two mothers chatted about their current lives.

To Chen Hong's surprise, Wang Yunyan had also been divorced once and was now remarried. She had three children.

"I had a daughter with my ex-husband, and a son and a daughter with my current partner. That's my three children."

I'm a mother of three now. Fortunately, all my children live with me. My eldest is fourteen and will be starting high school soon; he's grown up and becoming more sensible.

The youngest is eight years old and can already stand on his own. What about you? I heard you married and moved to Jiaodong. I was hoping to visit you at the beach sometime, but I've been so busy with business and the kids that I haven't been able to spare a single moment.

When did you get back? We haven't seen each other for over ten years! I didn't expect you to have changed at all, in fact, you've gotten even more beautiful!

Chen Hong laughed and joked, "What's so good about it? I'm already in my thirties. But you haven't changed much, you're still so beautiful!"

I've been divorced once and just got married again, so I'm a remarried woman now.

My ex-husband and I have a son who is seven years old this year. I bought a house in Jinan so he could go to school, and I only returned to Jinan last year.

By the way, are you still doing your old job selling clothes? How have you been these past few years?

Wang Yunyan smiled proudly: "Yes, I also sell clothes! You know, I'm not highly educated and can't do anything else."

I've been selling clothes for almost twenty years, and I know a thing or two about it. If I didn't do this, I wouldn't know how to do anything else.

My ex-husband was sixteen years older than me. I married him when I was seventeen. He rented a shop for me and gave me capital to buy goods, which is how I earned my first money.

We've been married for five years. He behaved himself for two years before cheating on me again. After I gave birth to a daughter, that bastard had a son with another woman.

I divorced him, taking my daughter with me, and at least we got an apartment in the settlement. Now I still run a clothing store, and my boyfriend owns a car repair shop; we both earn a decent income.

Although he's not particularly good-looking and always smells bad, he's honest, family-oriented, and treats me and the kids very well.

Now I've come to terms with it. When I was young, I liked handsome and rich men, but I wasn't capable enough. Such men were womanizers; I got them, but I couldn't keep them.

My mom is right. Being good-looking can't put food on the table. Women age faster than men. When it comes to settling down, you still need to find an honest and reliable man.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!